The Callahan Report: Jeff Gordon is Becoming a Living Legend

DARLINGTON, SC: Once in a great while, a sports legend
is born. His accomplishments live forever. In basketball, names like
Bird, Johnson, and Jordon fit into the legend category. In baseball, we
hear daily about the accomplishments of players like Sosa and McGwire.
These are unique times for NASCAR Winston Cup racing. Fans of the 90s are
able to watch the latest legend in the making. Jeff Gordon continues to
amaze even the most casual racing enthusiast. The amazement continued at
the Southern 500 in Darlington.

It was a typical NASCAR Winston Cup race for Jeff Gordon Sunday. He
was never too much of a threat . . . until the end. There was a ton of
money on the line. He didn't make any mistakes. His team worked on his
car and made it capable of winning. Gordon drove his heart out on the way
to victory.

Darlington is known as the track that is "too tough to tame." If
Gordon hasn't tamed it, he surely has a tight hold on its leash. Gordon
captured his tenth win of the season by pulling into victory lane at the
Southern 500 in Darlington. It was the fourth time in-a-row Gordon has
won the fall classic. Gordon has won at least ten races in each of the
last three Winston Cup seasons.

Gordon also cashed a major paycheck by winning at Darlington. The
Southern 500 is one of five selected races in which drivers have a shot at
a million dollar bonus. Gordon was one of those eligible drivers to win
the bonus money. To be eligible for the bonus, drivers must finish in the
top-five at the previous selected "No Bull 5" race. It was the third time
in his career Gordon has collected a million dollars for winning a single
race. Gordon also won the "No Bull 5" Bonus Million at the Brickyard 400
last month.

Gordon's "hang around till the end" style is becoming so common place,
no one was surprised when he blew past race leader Jeff Burton in the
closing laps of the race. Burton dominated the Southern 500 for most of
the race. He knew the skill in the driver's seat of the car behind him.
Even Burton accepted Gordon's pass for the lead like a champion.

"This was the hardest race I've ever had to run," said Gordon. " The
car slid all over the place because the track was so slick." He
continued, "(Jeff) Burton was killing us all day long, but we made the
right adjustments near the end. And I think he used up his car."

Things got even sweeter for Gordon as the race wore down. Mark Martin,
who has been dogging Gordon every step of the way in the Championship
hunt, blew his engine. Martin was a front runner before his engine
problems sent him falling to a 40th place finish. The driver of the
Valvoline Taurus was a mere 67 point behind Gordon in the series points as
the green flag fell for the start of the Southern 500. When the day was
done, Martin trailed Gordon by 199 points.

Jeff Gordon

The drivers seem to understand and accept the success of Gordon and the
DuPont racing team. Some of the other racing team owners are not as
amiable. Gordon and the "rainbow warriors" racing team have been under
close scrutiny since winning last weekend. Immediately following that
race, Jack Roush, owner of the cars driven by Mark Martin and Jeff Burton,
began pointing fingers at the DuPont team.

Accusations were made that the team has "soaked" their tires in
chemicals to give them better grip. NASCAR officials impounded the tires
from Gordon's and Mark Martin's cars after the race for analysis. Initial
findings were negative. The tires have been sent to a lab for further
intensive investigation.

When it comes to beating living legends, the competition needs to
either work harder or sit back and give credit where talent and teamwork
have produced amazing results. The teams getting beat by Gordon and the
DuPont team are benefitting from his legend status. Audiences, both at
the tracks and on television, have never been higher. Sponsors are
approving big racing budgets just to be a part of the NASCAR Winston Cup
success story.

While it seems the drivers have accepted the driving talent of Jeff
Gordon, the team owners should take a closer look at their own
wallets.....the wallets which continue to get fatter as a result of people
like Jeff Gordon.

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